In order to work with the OME shocks, I had to make a minor change to my press arrangement. The coil perchs are rounded where the stockers are more flattened and easier to place.
So I utilized an old skidplate from a 1967 Scout 800 that I used to own. I drilled a 1 1/4" hole through the plate. This allows the support lip on the shock to rest on the edge comfortable and no chance of being pushed through.
Next for stability I welded a leftover chunk of driveshaft from a 1972 Scout II to the base to hold the shock in check so it wouldn't walk around on me. The welds are crappy, don't look close, I was in too much of a hurry to clean the sludge off the plate

Shock in place. I ran it to the car wash yesterday and cleaned off the mag chloride and crap, surprised at how they still look new. I've had Rancho's show signs of pitting after a month.

883 coming off

5" stroke on these if anybody wants to know.

Clean the winter crap out of the perch

For those who have never done this, be sure and get the end of the coil fully seated in the perch, rotate it until it stops.

And of course I was again in a hurry due to quickly fading light and failed to take a pic of the finished product but seen one seen 'em all.

My posing spot, 882's with 1/4" poly spacer gave extra 1/2" lift over the 883's with 1/4" poly spacer, but I expect them to settle in like the others did. Hub to fender is 25 1/2", too tall.

an hour later I had the spacers out and was down to 25"

My target height is 24 1/2".
The 883's with the 1/4" spacer were sitting at 25" both sides, removing the spacer with those coils should net what I want if I choose to put them back in.
If the 882's drop the expected 1/2", that will work too as far as height.

First impression, somewhat softer but obviously I need to go through another break in period to make a final call.

I'm trying to decide what to do coil wise here in the near future. I really like my 881s, but need some more lift. It's pushing it with the 255/85s. Of course my 5100s kind of screw it up, but I guess I can look into other options entierly. I know there's a lot of people happy with the Eibachs, but a 620lb spring...

I'm trying to decide what to do coil wise here in the near future. I really like my 881s, but need some more lift. It's pushing it with the 255/85s. Of course my 5100s kind of screw it up, but I guess I can look into other options entierly. I know there's a lot of people happy with the Eibachs, but a 620lb spring...

I've got some research to do...

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That right there is part of what makes the choices so difficult, the different shocks used, different truck weights due to bumpers and whatnot, tire sizes and of course what is comfortable to one is not to another.

881's on my stock truck (pre-bumper) without spacers gave 2" lift only, it seems you got full 3" with the same spring due to a different shock.

After last night's test run, I have a theory about the higher rate spring being more popular....

Reading back though my build with the coils well broken in and before my bumper/skids I was sitting at 23 3/4" passanger and 23 5/8" driver hub to fender.

Of course I've never run any sort of top plate spacer either.

And what's this theory? Go back to the same rock you did the little flex test on and see if you can compress the front some more. That I would like to see.

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I didn't realize you started with OME struts, interesting. I must have missed that when I read your build.
I tried to get to that same rock yesterday, and there was a camper in the way.(hunters campsite) I'll try again this weekend as I want to see for myself if any difference.

So My Theory...few facts, mostly opinion.
I had a long drawn out explanation, and condensed it to this. Still long and drawn out...

To start with, roughly 30lbs was removed from the front end when the stock bumper was removed. Newer models will have more bumper weight. Addicted Off Road has weighed the newer models and they came in at 40lbs give or take.

The new bumper/winch combo weighs in at approximately 135lbs
So for all intents and purposes there is an extra 105lbs of front end weight give or take over stock on my truck.

I have kept the tire air pressure at 34psi during this time, no airing down for trail use.

883's drive and feel like the swaybar is still attached. Meaning they have excellent road manners on the pavement. They definitely help control the body roll in a corner. Drives on rails is the feeling you get. Minor road bumps initially felt harsh but the springs did settle down after around 500 miles or so, and started to feel pretty good. Tracking down the road is very good.

I have been driving the same paved canyon to get a feel for handling as I have progressed during the build, with a side trip to a dirt county road with plenty of bumps and that nifty rock for testing flex. This is my control for these tests.

Now it's too soon really to have a firm opinion but last nights drive I did feel more body roll, but not scary, just a bit more than I had before. It did cause me to slightly change the way I drove the corners, it lost it's sports car feel but didn't feel out of control at all.

I also noticed more tendency to wander between the lines while hitting the irregularities in the road surface. I believe this is solely related to the swaybar being removed. The softer rate allows the wheels to articulate more independently/easily from each other, so they naturally want to do their own thing. Again, not real bad, just noticeable.

By irregularities in the road I'm talking about the winter freeze humps and hollows in the road that throw everybody around.

I had the same feeling with the 881's, and actually had more body roll during cornering with the bumper installed.
In bone stock form the 881's felt awesome.

So basically the 882's now feel the same as the 881's did before the bumper.
If I had gone that route I would be done at this point.

But unfortunately I have experienced the joy of cornering 20 mph above the posted speed limit with the 883's in a canyon with few guard rails and I loved it

In a nutshell, I think the 883's are more popular simply for the pavement ride more that anything else. They give a good lift with the added weight and they control that weight very well. When we get to the trail it's air down time and most of that harsh off-road ride goes away.

I'll try for that same rock this weekend and see what happens compression wise. If they fully compress to bumpstop in an RTI type situation, they may actually be too soft. It will be interesting to see what they do new and what they do after 500 miles.

That was poorly stated. I've never had OME stuts. I was just saying that I don't think my 5100s, at the lowest (stock) setting, gave any more lift than the same coils on an OME strut. I've never had 3" of lift that I know of.

You're theory does make sense though. Of course I'm no expert on this, but after doing this reading and seeing your pictures, it makes me wonder if a heavier coil would then hinder off-road performance. Your uptravel, at least in the one flexing pic, was clearly limited.

I've had zero issues with all my weight, the 881s, and the sway bar removed; and I think my bumper is around 30 pounds heavier than yours. I don't drive much highway, but I do have to slow down a little bit. I did scare myself once going around a corner a bit too fast however.

I don't know if I've heard of anyone using 5100s and 882s. Might have to try. I know there are some that say not to use OME coils on 5100s at all.

Ok, that makes sense. I would have to see the 5100 next to the OME to understand what is going on there, get some dimensions.

If you think about it, an 882 is a preloaded 881..Same rate just a shy inch longer, basically tightening up the coils as it fit's in the same dimensional length. It's not stretched, it's about a coil longer. If I'm all wet here, somebody please set the record straight...

While I was swapping springs, the claws fit easily between the coil on the 883's. 883 and 881 are same length.
When I had the 882's installed, I had to pry the claws out as the coil was closer together.

I don't see a problem with it if done correctly. It crossed my mind originally to add a thicker isolator to the 881's, about an inch thicker, and this is what prompted me to start this little adventure.

Your theory on the springs makes sense to me. For most people the vast majority of miles are driven on pavement and that "sports car" feel you describe with the 883s is probably more desirable for that. I know the 883s can do well in the dirt too. For me and the type of off-roading I do the lighter spring rate of the 882 is a better solution for me. I'm driving a heavy truck after-all and not a sports car so I need it to handle like a sports car. It behaves better and soaks up the bumps on highspeed dirt and flexes well in the rocks with the 882s. Again, this is for my truck and the behavior that I prefer in the conditions I drive. Everyone could be different.

I think I'll just have to try some 882s paired with my 5100s. I don't see any reason to do anything until spring though.

Brett, let me know if you end up going with the 883s. If so, I'll take the 882s off your hands.

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I'll keep it in mind. Are you wanting to increase your ride height or increase the coil rate? If it's just lift your after and your happy with the ride I'd go with a top spacer. I think this actually works better as it allows more equal upward and downward shock travel and will help with larger tires clearing the fender during full stuff.

1/2" spacer will give about an inch of lift, if your studs are long enough on the top hat. That's how it has worked out for me when I had them installed.
1/4" spacer gave a half inch lift when I used them.

Edit: I see what your saying now, you'll still be shy of full 3 inch lift.
I hear ya on the coil rate, an 881 length at 560lbs might be about right, just idle speculation though

You've sold me on a set of 882s. Now to find some longer shackles to match.... At least that shouldn't be too difficult.

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I'm happy it helped. I hope it will give others an idea of what to expect if they stumble across this.
Now I can focus on the rear of the frame, stiffeners and stuff, and try and cut back on that wheel hop as my canopy is banging the shit out of my cab.